An indicator device of this type is for example disclosed in the patent FR 2 679 998. In spite of its interest, especially because of the possibility offered by the device to simultaneously display two different parameters, the device disclosed in the prior patent has important overall dimensions, more particularly because it involves the utilisation of semi-circular shaped dials.
More generally many solutions of the prior art are already known for moving the pointer of an instrument panel indicator. For instance, the patent document FR 2 859 323 discloses a system making it possible to rotatably move such a pointer. According to this document, the pointer is driven by a brushless motor, through a mechanical reduction system.
For instance again, the patent FR 2 885 688 discloses an assembly composed of two juxtaposed motors driving two coaxial shafts making it possible to rotatably move two pointers independently, with such arrangement being more particularly intended for concentric indicator gauges. Such driving systems make it possible to move one or two pointer(s) in one plane, but in an angular motion only.
Motor vehicle manufacturers have recently developed new types of gauges, the display of which non longer has a disk shape but elliptic or oblong shapes, as illustrated in FIG. 1, for instance. However, there is at present no analogue indicator with a simple structure which is controlled by electromagnetic motors and which is adapted to this new type of gauges, since the current solutions mostly use a liquid crystal digital display system. Motor assemblies are also known from patents U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,590 and EP 0 793 262, which make it possible to move semi-conductor matrices, with the motion being planar. These known devices still have the drawback of having important overall dimensions which limit the field of application thereof.